Overheat
by TsukiNoKagura
Summary: A story set in Fiore- a nation overrun by gang activity. Lucy had feared and respected the Fairy Tail gang that ruled over her city of Magnolia for all her life, until she runs into a certain pink-haired pyromaniac, that is. AU NaLu
1. Prologue

**Overheat by TsukiNoKagura**

**Title:** Overheat

**Length:** 2000 words per chapter, no. of chapters undetermined

**Structure**: Linear, canon-based narrative; followed by a non-sequential collection of one-shots, a sequel, perhaps.

**Pairings**: Natsu x Lucy centric, with a dash of other subtly implied couples.

**Summary:** As a self-proclaimed 'average person', Lucy had long decided that Magnolia, a city ruled by the notorious Fairy Tail gang, had not been her ideal place of residence; until she accidentally runs into a certain pink-haired pyromaniac, that is.

**Note: **I based the conceptual, fictional city of Magnolia on the US (and made small Japan references). Since I am Australian, I am not over-familiar regarding lifestyle and educational systems outside my country. I apologise in advance.

* * *

**Prologue**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

Lucy had long forgotten when she had first arrived at First Celestial Home for Gifted Children. The title of the place itself had not been too compromising for the fact that it was an orphanage. Of course, she would like to believe that everyone who lived there had a secret talent that separated them from the rest of society. However, aside from the little 'orphan perks' that each one of them picked up along their tedious, lacking-of-parental-guidance journey Lucy did not think that they were 'special' in any other way.

She supposed that some of them did stand out from the rest and have a bright future ahead of them. Cancer, for example, is an expert in hairstyling. He had recently landed a job at the local hairdressers after he had graduated from college. Taurus had been known for his unfathomable strength, he had been hired as a bouncer of a famous downtown nightclub as soon as he decided to leave school. Lucy strives to become like her preceding seniors and grow up to be a well-known name around the neighbourhood.

Speaking of her neighbourhood, Magnolia… hadn't exactly been her ideal place of residence. As a matter of fact, the whole nation of Fiore did not have one decent city where an average person like her would want to live in. Due to the diminished employment levels in law enforcement; different gangs roamed free on the streets, restrictions had not been placed on weaponry and things like bank robberies, murder and rape happen on almost a daily basis. Each gang may 'claim' an area as their own and should another gang 'intrude' on another gang's area fights and shooting incidents usually take place.

The city of Magnolia had been claimed by the infamous Fairy Tail gang. They were known to be the most fearsome and revered gang in the whole of Fiore. While they were responsible for the majority of infrastructure destruction that costed millions of jewels (official currency of Fiore) they had something other gangs do not- respect. Compared to its neighbouring cities Magnolia had a relatively safe environment (save for the constant collapsing of buildings the gang held responsible for) as Fairy Tail did not believe in hurting citizens to the extent of protecting its people from harm.

Lucy would never admit this to anyone but- she secretly admired Fairy Tail, and fantasised about being a part of it. They seem to bring about destruction everywhere they go, cause havoc in other cities and start fights with other gangs for fun. But hell, compared to everywhere else, Magnolia is relatively _livable. _She could go out at night without carrying instruments like a pocket knife or a _rape whistle._

The only form of government-controlled education in Fiore would be of tertiary level. Elementary schools and high schools were all shut down years ago in order to ensure the safety of school students. While majority of the children were home-schooled the wealthier may hire private tutors and purchase expensive textbooks. At First Celestial they were taught by Professor Crux- a wise, old man who appears to be asleep all the time.

Lucy had no plans of going to university; instead she aspired to become a novelist. She had written plenty of books, their manuscripts neatly stashed in the back corner of her wardrobe. She had never shown anyone her works because they would most likely laugh at her and mock her writing. _As soon as I get out of here _she would think to herself _I'll get myself a publishing deal, and then I'll live off the royalties I earn._

* * *

It had been an average morning for Lucy as she stepped into a stationery store; her last pen had just run out of ink... again and she wondered whether her part-time job as a locksmith's assistant would be sufficient for her bad, bad spending habits. Not only did she require the latest fashion trends Lucy also have constant cravings for sweets. Her closet-writer self also needed constant supply of pen and paper.

The radio broadcasted about a nearby fire-incident as Lucy grabbed several plain leather-bound notebooks and two tubs of ink, before she set her large, brown eyes on an item in the glass display cabinet next to the counter. It was a pen- coated in gold and encrusted with amethyst crystals. It made Lucy's own plain boring capped pen worthless in comparison. She knew she just had to have it, let her two week's salary be damned!

"H-how much does this pen c-cost…?" she settled down her items on the counter and stammered to the shopkeeper who barely looked interested in his own shop. If it was put in the display cabinet it had to be worth a fortune, Lucy made an estimate of around seventy jewels. She could afford that, she just had to work hard for two weeks.

"One hundred jewels." The shopkeeper barely casted her a glance and fixed his droopy eyes back to his magazine. Lucy froze.

"How can this thing be worth so much?" she threw her hands up in the air "I mean, Magnolia is famed for its abundance in amethysts! They're not of much worth!" The shopkeeper ignored her.

_Perhaps I could use my feminine charms? _Lucy thought with a smug face as she unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and rested her hands provocatively atop the counter.

"Aw come on Mr. Meanie" she pouted cutely "Surely you would make an exception for a cute girl like me?" The shopkeeper finally looked up; he fixed his eyes on her… womanly traits.

"Eighty Jewels," the man swallowed "you either take it or leave it."

"You have yourself a deal, sir!" Lucy immediately paid for her purchases, placed the pen carefully in a sealed compartment within her handbag and skipped out-

…only to bump head-on with a stranger, knocking herself over and him on top of her.

A pair of fierce, determined eyes locked with her own and Lucy felt her breath hitch in her throat. The boy's messy, salmon-coloured hair did not look weird at all and, on the contrary, looked quite handsome falling over his tanned face. What shocked Lucy the most was the fact that, this strange boy's well-built torso was only covered with an open short-sleeved jacket and a geometrically-patterned scarf, and she could not help herself staring at the irresistible sight that was of his biceps.

"Gah, sorry…" he let out a strangled sound and climbed down from their awkward position, before he scurried off in a hurried pace, a cute scowl adorned his cheeks.

She was left in a daze.

* * *

That afternoon Lucy slurped heartily on her bowl of beef ramen. Her friend, Virgo, back at First Celestial worked for Starry Ramen and she could eat whatever she wanted there for a special staff's discount. She thought of the boy back at the stationery store, he couldn't have been any older than her because she could literally feel the hot-blooded, youthful aura that dripped from his body. _Why had he been in such a hurry? Isn't he cold from that flimsy jacket he wore? _Other miscellaneous thoughts and questions troubled her brain and she let out a groan.

"What's wrong? Is the ramen too salty?" Virgo had been cleaning plates near her and Lucy denied her assumption. She wanted to tell her friend about the boy from earlier but it seemed slightly strange since she rarely gossiped about boys.

Just at that moment, as if by fate, said boy rammed through the doors of the restaurant and sat down right on the stool next to Lucy's. He requested for an extra large spicy ramen, and when the price of his order had been announced he seemed to have been caught in a dilemma. Lucy watched out of the corner of her eye as the pink-haired boy fumbled through his pant pockets to no luck.

_I can't believe I'm doing this… _Lucy thought to herself before she cleared her throat, the boy turned around to make eye-contact with her, his eyes glistened, but he did not seem to recognise her.

"I-I'll pay for that, if y-you want…" her gaze fell down to her own ramen and she could barely keep her voice steady _Lucy, what is wrong with you? You're simply performing an act of random kindness! Just do it for that set of gorgeous abs of his…_

To Lucy's surprise the boy's face transformed into a happy grin, he did not thank her or promise her anything about how he'd pay her back, but Lucy could see that he had been grateful towards her. She smiled back at him.

"I-I'm Lucy, n-nice to m-meet you!" she held out a hand shakily and tried to make her introduction sound as nice and smooth as possible.

The boy ignored her hand and placed an arm around her shoulder, causing her to blush furiously "I'm Natsu, thanks for the meal; I'm starving my ass off!" his voice was loud and clear, confident, too.

Lucy watched Natsu eat with her chin in her hands; she did not regret her decision in buying him the biggest size on the menu. It would probably cost her two day's worth of lunch money. He sprayed two layers of hot pepper flakes on top of the fire-red soup and finished his food within two minutes. Natsu must be a fan of spicy things.

"So, um, I haven't seen you around here before, are you new to the city?" Lucy tried to strike up a conversation with the boy. Magnolia is a relatively small place and it was a common thing to recognise faces everywhere.

"Oh?" Natsu replied "Nah, but I do go traveling a lot." He called for Virgo, and whispered something in the waitress' ear. Virgo nodded in understanding and headed back into the kitchen.

"You don't look any older than I am; do you travel with your parents or something?" The word 'parents' sounded foreign coming out of her mouth. It was considered a taboo word in First Celestial.

Virgo arrived back at the bar counter they sat by, she held a plate filled with raw red chilli peppers. She settled the plate in front of Natsu and told him that it was on the house. Lucy watched in shock as the boy picked up a pepper and tossed it into his mouth, before chewing thoughtfully and swallowing with a content sigh. He picked up another pepper.

"That's just it, I don't have any parents." He sounded quite casual talking about his family business "My adoptive dad disappeared one day and I've been looking for him ever since." Lucy felt sorry for him; she couldn't imagine a life without Mr. King (owner of the orphanage), Professor Crux and her fellow 'siblings' back at First Celestial.

Natsu took the remaining peppers and shoved them, all at once, into his mouth. "Ah, I'm all fired up!" he exclaimed before taking off his jacket, revealing what would become the biggest shock of her life to Lucy.

A red symbol, illustrating the abstract shape of a winged creature, with its long tail the shape of an arrow, had been embedded on his left arm. Lucy would be an idiot to not know what it signified.

"Y-you're… you're…" she fell over on the stool she sat on and backed away from him. He stared at her matter-of-factly.

"Salamander, of Fairy Tail…" her voice was barely a whisper.

* * *

_**A/N: It seemed very common of me to start a brand new piece of writing, and most likely end up never completing it. Anyhow, Fairy Tail would be my most recent obsession. I instantly fell in love with the NaGraLu Threesome, not that it would be incorporated into this story. Threesomes can come another day.**_

_**Liked it? Hated it? R&R it!**_


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail__  
_

* * *

"Salamander, of Fairy Tail…" Lucy repeated "That fire incident must have been your doing as well!" She should have seen it coming: Salamander, full-time pyromaniac and part-time terrorist, one of the most fearsome members of Fairy Tail. Only he would have the fire-red symbol, it literally _defined_ who he is.

"Mm… So?" Natsu glanced at her nonchalantly; he didn't seem too affected by the blonde's accusation.

"So… so…" Lucy opened her mouth to continue, but no words came out. She wasn't exactly afraid of him, despite the rumours his infamy brought upon him. He had been a pretty average (chilli-loving) guy until he took off his jacket.

"I won't hurt you, you know that. I am pretty law-abiding myself." The pink-haired boy shrugged and toyed with the straw resting inside his complimentary glass of water.

_Law-abiding my ass _Lucy thought to herself _Salamander's responsible for almost all fires in the city…_

"What is it like…?" she spoke up "Being a member of Fairy Tail, that is."

"It's the biggest fun anyone could have. We treat each other like family and every single day is filled with adventure."

"That sounds really nice..."

"Would you like to join us?"

Lucy nearly spat out her drink at the question he had asked so-casually. He must have been joking for an average girl like her to join Fairy Tail… It was the most exciting, yet the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

Natsu saw through her dilemma "We don't discriminate, you know, although you shouldn't really ask someone like me about this, for all I know, I've been with the gang since I was a toddler." He took a sip of water "There was this girl who joined us last week, what was her name? Juvia or something I think. She fitted right in as soon as she stepped into the Headquarters."

"Headquarters?" Lucy perked up, "You have a Headquarters?"

"Come on!" Natsu took her by the hand excitedly, causing her to blush furiously, before Lucy could even leave a tip for her friend he had dragged her out of the store..

"I'll show you."

* * *

"Well… this is it." The duo stood in front of a rather… inconspicuous building. The part about it being inconspicuous had been out of sarcasm. The wide, two-storied western-themed structure stretched over and intimidated the whole street. A gigantic 'Fairy Tail' sign had been nailed on top of the pointy roof along with the unsubtle symbol. Lucy wondered to herself why she had never known of such a magnificent sight in her entire life.

"Are we supposed to… knock?" Lucy asked, gesturing to the tightly locked wooden gates. Natsu shook his head, held onto her hand tighter than ever and in one single attempt he busted through the entrance.

The scene that welcomed them wasn't that of a shady underground drug deal, but rather, a merry bar scene filled with cheerful people… cheerful people branded with the Fairy Tail symbol on their bodies.

"Ah! Welcome back, Natsu! Did you bring with you a new friend?" a girl with long, white hair styled in a fashionable way greeted the boy from behind the bar counter. Lucy immediately recognised this girl.

"You're Mirajane Strauss! In the flesh!" her voice turned into a high pitched shriek "You're the cover-girl of Sorcerer Magazine!" Lucy found it difficult to move her body, which had frozen in place. She had always looked up to Mirajane as her idol because not only is the girl super beautiful and famous she also does a lot of charity work. Lucy loved reading about her in Sorcerer Magazine and daydream about what it would be like if she had switch places with Mira. Why is the famous model working as a mere bartender within Fairy Tail?

"Mirajane volunteered to serve drinks here" Natsu whispered "Don't cross her, as an S-class she holds one of the highest ranks and she can be real mean if you piss her off"

"You have _ranks_?" Lucy gaped.

"Not really" Natsu replied "Just casuals, us regular members, the S-class members and the Master himself.

Suddenly a half-naked boy around their age rushed from his seat and ran directly into Natsu before tackling him to the ground, a dark-blue Fairy Tail tattoo had been imprinted on his right pectoral. Natsu desperately fought the boy and the two rolled around on the floor, throwing punches one after the other.

"Oh my, here we go again…" Mirajane covered her mouth gracefully as she giggled.

"Why isn't anyone stopping them before someone gets seriously injured!" Lucy pointed at the brawling twosome worriedly; the other boy's nose had just started to bleed after a collision with Natsu's fist.

"Oh, don't mind about them" a girl younger than her with dark blue hair and glasses, who had been sitting on a barstool next to Mira, popped up from behind the book she had been reading "That half-naked pervert is Gray, he and Natsu are eternal rivals and they start fighting every time they see eachother, the two are shockingly violent, if you ask me; but nobody else here really minds. I bet the two are BFFLs at heart." Lucy instantly liked the girl, whose name had been Levy, as Mira subsequently introduced the two. Levy reminded Lucy of herself a lot. She had been about to ask her for her email address when a booming voice came from the second floor (Lucy had really just noticed its existence, nobody seemed to be up there).

"Salamander and Fullbuster, stop fighting this instant before I have to pay more damage repair costs" the voice's timbre filled with intensity and sent chills down Lucy's back "We have a new addition here, and we must display our best behaviour to honour our group." Lucy only just noticed that the voice had been talking about her, and that she was the only non-member inside the room. All eyes were immediately on her, some of them kind and others… not so. Lucy feared the gaze of one particular man sitting at the back corner who had long spiky black hair down his back and a billion piercings on his body. His Fairy Tail insignia the same colour as his hair, Lucy immediately recognised him as the gang's Iron Fist, who matched Salamander in terms of destructiveness and infamy. He had only recently transferred from another gang and rumours had it that he single-handed annihilated the gang for losing The Phantom-Fairy Quarrel against Fairy Tail and subsequently joined the latter.

_This place sure is full of scary and famous people…_ Lucy winced; her thoughts interrupted when the whole guild suddenly bowed down, even Natsu and Gray stopped what they're doing and looked down in embarrassment.

The room's light dimmed, and the once-noisy crowd became eerily silent, and all attention focused on a large shadowy figure that materialised on the balcony of the second floor.

"The Master sounds pretty mad" someone whispered near her.

Lucy felt her entire body shaking in fear; no-one had ever dared the feared third Master of Fairy Tail, some speculated that he is an important government official who walked side-by-side with the nation's figureheads. Others say he is the single most powerful man of all Magnolia, and questioned his humanity as he could be on-par with the gods.

"Good afternoon, Master-Makarov." The whole gang resonated, Lucy's heart stopped inside her chest.

* * *

"Ahahah! Good-afternoon kids!" a merry, aged voice broke the silence, and a small, old man emerged from the room upstairs. He wore a bright orange track suit and a matching pajama-hat. His white, angular moustache dominated the majority of his wrinkled, comical face.

_I…is this what they call an anti-climax? _Lucy wanted to slap her own forehead, and everyone else's along the way.

"Master! You've finally woken up! Did you drink too much again yesterday?" Mirajane greeted.

"Oh ho!" the man miraculously hopped down from where he was "I only came down to welcome the newcomer; I felt an unfamiliar presence whilst I had been asleep, now…" he turned and faced Lucy (having to tilt his head in order to do so as his height barely reached her thighs) "What is your name?"

"I'm L-Lucy H-Heartfilia…Natsu b-brought me here." The girl stammered, suddenly becoming very self-conscious with all eyes trained upon her.

"And do you, Lucy Heartfilia, wish to become a part of our family?" Lucy jumped, he did not address the gang as a… well… gang.

"_It's the biggest fun anyone could have. We treat each other like family and every single day is filled with adventure."_ She heard Natsu's voice inside her head.

"Come on Lucy, we like you already!" Levy lit up and clung onto her arm, even Mira gave her a thumbs-up from behind the bar. Natsu, on the other hand, simply grinned at her from his position and Lucy saw him wink at her playfully from the corner of her eye.

"…Alright!" she felt her own lips move on their own accord, had this been what she wanted all this time? What do her 'siblings' back at First Celestial have to say about this? The whole room erupted into loud cheers and she was lifted off her feet by Natsu who twirled her around in his arms.

"Mira, go fetch the stamp, I think pink would look great on her!" did Makarov just grin perversely at her? Lucy had been too overwhelmed by the gang's loud response to even care about the stamping business.

The white-haired girl returned with a large, intricately carved wooden stamp and a tub of pink ink. She gestured for Lucy to extend her arm (after Natsu had finally let her down), gently dipped the end of the stamp in the ink and stamped a light pink Fairy Tail symbol on the back of Lucy's hand. Lucy didn't know what the colour represented, but she was later told that the Master had great expectation in her and that she is destined to achieve great things for the gang. Lucy disregarded that comment and found it too cheesy.

The ink had dried out quickly, Lucy tried to rub it but it showed no signs of smudging.

"Once a member of Fairy Tail, you're always a member of Fairy Tail" Mirajane smiled "That ink had been especially made and would remain on there permanently unless professionally removed… did I mention that only we have the removal tools necessary?" Lucy nodded, she had no intention of ever quitting the gang, especially not straight after joining it, and she is already feeling the positive vibe dripping off everyone present. It contradicted her stereotyping of gangs limited to shady, underground drug-dealing delinquents, not that Fairy Tail had no such people, but the atmosphere definitely showed no signs of it.

"You know what this means?" a scantily dressed girl with wavy brown hair shouted from the back of the room "It's time for a welcome-party! Let's drink our hearts out! Bring on the beer Mira!"

And there, amongst the horde of loud, crazy, drunken people, 'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilia of First Celestial Home for Gifted Children had officially become Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.

* * *

_**A/N: I'm not happy with chapter because I felt like I had rambled too much. Tell me what you think of me simultaneously introducing so many new characters. Next chapter we have NaLu fluff, more character introductions and Lucy's ultimate skill put to good use.**_

_**Liked it? Hated it? R&R it!**_


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

Saturday mornings are lazy mornings at the Assigned Fairy Tail Residential Block. The overhanging sun beamed lazily across a clear, cloudless sky as the members stay snoozed in bed.

"_Get out of my room!"_ a high-pitched shriek shattered the peaceful silence in AFTRB when a figure with a fistful of salmon hair landed face-first on the front porch of a cosy Victorian-style unit. He had fallen from the window of the second storey and had ended up with two broken limbs and a bloody nose.

"…so you're saying that Lucy threw you out of the window when you paid her a friendly visit" Levy narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her. Sure he had a dark, bruised ring around his left eye but the way Natsu feasted on his extra spicy stir-fry made her think otherwise on his violent recount of the day.

Lucy felt a vein pop on her head when she heard Natsu feeding her new best friend Levy completely exaggerated lies. It had only been a week since she had joined the gang, and she had already met lots of wonderful people. Cana, the girl at the back of the room on her first visit for example has awesome fortune-telling skills with her tarot cards. Levy is in charge of all gang intelligence and has read just about every book Lucy could put her finger on. Juvia, the other new addition to the guild Natsu previously mentioned is a die-hard Gray fangirl who follows his every move; however when the latter isn't around she is very sweet and possesses strong swimming skills. Even Gajeel seemed like an alright guy who enjoyed playing the guitar once one looks past his fierce exterior.

She had also refreshed her knowledge on the ranks within the gang. There is a plentiful supply of unnamed 'casuals' with plain black symbols stamped on their bodies; they often come and go and only involve themselves with the gang casually. Full-time members like Natsu and Gray have coloured symbols. These stamps are unique in colour to each member and often serve as symbols of recognition should the member become a well-known figure. Rumours had it that the Master actually determines the colours via evaluating the member's skill as soon as he meets you, Lucy often found herself stare at the baby pink stamp on her hand and question its meaning. S-Class members are the so-called elites of the gang. They have either been with the group since its creation or are so powerful that they simply are worthy of such title. Not only do they have shiny 'S' shaped pins on their clothing (Mira had hers near her hip, Lucy later noted) their stamps also have a faint glow to them. There are no more than five of them and they rarely show themselves on everyday occasions because they are busy working for the gang around the world (except Mira, who serves at the bar and also has her publicity to maintain).

"Levy! That's not true!" the blonde screamed "He climbed in from the window! The freaking _window_!"

"Natsu…" Levy pinched the bridge of her nose "I thought we talked about this breaking-entering business last week… You should be glad Erza didn't bring out her gun collection on you last time." Natsu froze, as if remembering a terrible incident from the past; Lucy swore she saw his face turn blue, had it been the amount of chilli in his meal?

"Is this Erza Titania Scarlet?! The Fairy Queen herself? Oh wow…" The sudden retaliation caused Lucy to do a double-take. Titania is a feared figure in Fiore and she once single-handedly eliminated an entire gang in an hour. Lucy may be slightly slow in some areas but she definitely isn't out of tune with the news.

"That would be me, who are you?" a deep voice resounded from across the hall and everyone except Mira became silent. Lucy felt footsteps approaching her from the behind and slowly turned around to face a woman clad in a Samurai outfit drenched in sweat. Her deep, red hair tied into a ponytail flowed down her back and her face is stern yet beautiful in its own way. The Fairy Queen lives up to her name in terms of appearances.

"Erza-chan! Hiya!" Mira, being the only one unperturbed by the red-haired woman's entrance greeted "This is Lucy, she's new here, and Natsu brought her!"

"H-hi… how're you doing?" Lucy attempted to put on a casual façade and tried to look as casual as possible. She silently wished for Taurus to be here and protect her like he did when they were little.

"What? _She_'s that rookie master told me about?" Erza raised an eyebrow and studied the girl before her "I hope she's more than just a pretty face, oi, you, what can you do?" she made direct eye-contact with Lucy; it was a command rather than a question.

The blonde in question realised that the whole room's attention turned to her. They weren't sure what her capabilities are either. Even Natsu broke from his trance and eyed her excitedly. "I… er… "She began "I can um… well… it depends on how you look at it…"

The Fairy Queen stood unrelenting, so did the rest of the room. Lucy's chain of thoughts met a dead end. What _can _she do? She's nothing compared to people like Salamander or Titania! Would things have been better if she had _refused _Natsu's offer, which seemed rather silly at this moment? Suddenly she felt like she heard Mr King's voice on her first day at the orphanage after the death of her mother. _Remember Lucy, all children here at First Celestial are special, you've just got to believe it! We live up to our name after all! _

_She would like to believe that everyone who lived there had a secret talent that separated them from the rest of society. However, aside from the little 'orphan perks' that each one of them picked up along their tedious, lacking-of-parental-guidance journey Lucy did not think that they were 'special' in any other way._

After what appears to be a long, idle pause Lucy's face lit up. "_Orphan perks_!"She exclaimed to nobody in particular, Erza gave her a questioning look, gesturing for her to continue. Natsu on the other hand bluntly blurted "What orphan perks?"

"My nickname back at first celestial is 'Lucky Lucy' because I make friends really easily!" Lucy held out her cellphone "I have over one hundred contacts in here and all of them can help me in a call's time!" She never considered her outgoing trait a 'talent' but it's what differentiates her from everyone else back at home. Her social circle expands out so much she would always have someone to count on when in trouble.

"I'll show you!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly and pressed a combination onto her dial-pad, before pressing her ear to the receiver. After a short, quiet exchange she hung up and almost immediately a loud knock was heard on the door, when Lucy went up to open it and revealed a girl with permed pink hair holding a toolbox in her hands.

"Aries! Thank you for coming!" Lucy smiled and gave the girl a hug "Can you help Erza here with what we discussed over the phone? "she pointed at the woman, who had been still the entire time. Aries smiled sweetly, and without question opened her toolbox which contained hundreds of needles and many rolls of thread. In a flash the seamstress approached Erza and began working fervently. In about ten minutes of fast stiches and swift snips Titania's plain Samurai outfit had been transformed into a stylish, Japanese-themed dress fit for the runway. A detailed outline of a phoenix had been sewn onto the back and decorative sequins adorned the collars. On completion of her handiwork (and bidding Lucy goodbye), Aries picked up her loot and left as quickly as she arrived. As expected of First Celestial's famous fashion & textiles graduate.

Lucy folded her arms proudly across her chest as Erza's stern expression turned into that of an excited teenage girl's. Her eyes lit up in dramatic sparkles as she twirled elatedly in her new dress, muttering on how she now has a new piece in her collection of clothes. While the redhead continued to admire Aries' handiwork Natsu literally _bounced _at Lucy, swung both arms around her waist and lifted her up to the ceiling with unfathomable strength.

"You are so awesome Luce!" Natsu congratulated her happily "You've impressed Erza! That is so amazing!"

Lucy yelped in embarrassment as the boy spun her in circles, not only did he just hug her like they've known eachother for years but while he lifted her up his face had been buried obliviously in her bosom. The boy was either sexually unaware or purely clueless at mannerisms concerning members of the opposite sex. Before Lucy could make her own self-defence mechanism work Erza had already snapped out of her haze and struck Natsu with the side of her hand, hard, on the back of his head in warning. After he fell into unconsciousness- much to Lucy's concern but others' ignorance, The Fairy Queen rested her hand on Lucy's shoulders.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, kiddo" she smiled approvingly at her.

* * *

_Dear Diary_, that night Lucy used her new pen to start a new page in her journal book:

_Since I had joined Fairy Tail, my life had been thrown into a chaotic mess. I think it'll still take me a while to get used to this place, but I'm definitely enjoying my time here, and I wished people back home would know…_

Lucy paused, She had yet to inform her 'guardians' back at First Celestial about her affiliation with the gang; Virgo had advised her to give the matter some more time before breaking it to them. It may give an anti-gang person like Professor Crux a heart attack. As of now, all they were told is that she had found a nice apartment and had decided to move out. It was the best story for the benefits of both parties.

_The people here are very interesting, definitely a great change from the peace and quiet back home, I got to meet my lifelong idol Mira and even amazed The Fairy Queen Titania!_

Lucy winced at the close encounter she faced earlier that day, she wasn't sure if her… skill would suffice for a member of Fairy Tail, she doesn't see herself as an evil mastermind causing disasters within her own city. But perhaps… just a thought that occurred to her, she could use her ability and position as a gang member to do some good? Perhaps she could suggest ridding of some of those disrespectful, smaller groups that Fairy Tail overshadowed, but still posed as threats to the safety of her neighbourhood? Taking care of these other groups will be beneficial to the gang due to lesser competition… right? Lucy shook these thoughts aside.

_And Natsu… sometimes I don't know what's going on in his head. I barely know him but he treats me like his best friend and it really confuses me because well, to be honest he does have a nice set of a… _

"Yo"

Lucy ceased writing and slammed shut her journal almost abit unnaturally _speak of the devil _she turned around to find the said boy perching on her windowsill _She will need a new lock for that…_

"How long have you been here for?" Lucy sighed, in no mood, at the same time lacking the energy to kick him down the building this time.

"A while…" he replied, almost _too calm _for someone of his nature, it makes Lucy feel nervous. Natsu hopped down from his crouched position and subsequently landed on her adjacent bed with a soft thud.

"Well, what are you doing here? It's past midnight." Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose, thank heavens she is fully dressed and not doing something embarrassing.

"Had a nightmare, I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd pay you a visit." Did he just sound… vulnerable? Lucy did not want to ask him to elaborate on what he dreamt about, she fully understand the insomnia following the wake of a bad dream, she just didn't expect someone so fierce like Natsu to be plagued by such trivial matters.

"What do you want me to do about it?" the blonde asked, the boy shrugged.

"In that case, I'm tired and I want to go to bed now, I expect you to be gone after I come out of my bathroom." She needed to brush her teeth.

Natsu gave no reply, Lucy took it as a yes, turned off the lights (he could just go out through the window anyway) and proceeded to her nightly routines. By the time she did finish it was well into the first hours of the next day, Lucy yawned and headed towards her bed with half-lidded eyes and came to a sudden halt before the scene before her.

The pale moonlight faintly illuminated his figure as Natsu curled up on top of the bed, under the covers, fast asleep. Light snores came out from the back of his throat and when she shook him he made no move to budge. _And here I thought he had trouble sleeping_.

Lucy sighed and gave up, it had been a long day for both her body and mind and all she wanted was a good night's sleep. She gently shuffled the boy over to the other side of the bed and crawled in next to him. She cursed her own decision of buying a single bed, but before she could do anything about it the power of sleep overwhelmed her and she dozed off into a dream of phone calls and bonfires.

* * *

_**A/N: NAILED IT! Late update due to the author caught up in their tragic month/s of involvement with video games. The second half of the story had been written on a whim and will most likely be edited.**_

_**I edited the previous chapters (many mistakes and minor details that caused confusion) so if you feel like something's wrong go back and re-read, they almost feel completely new information-wise. I hope this clears up the puzzle if you thought that the chapters' information didn't add up. **_

_**Mr King (Celehou) is the owner of the Orphanage if you don't remember. Also that little soliloquy is from the Prologue. Erza may seem slightly OCC but she only wants what's best for the guild, which certainly isn't a useless rookie. I'm sure many of you are wondering about the whereabouts of Happy, you shall find out soon!**_

_**The gangs featured in 'Overheat' parallel the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads in the real world and fictional like the 3**__**rd**__** Street Saints or the Vongola. And yes, before I make them sound like a bunch of kids, they're still members of a criminal organisation.**_

_**Loved it? Hated it? R&R it!**_


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